


Gag Reel

by ShepherdSoreyDidNothingWrong (Sagnessagiel)



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: AU, Actors, Gen, Humor, M/M, Not really sure what to categorise this as, Spoilers, They're actors but they keep their actual names with no in-story explanation, Tread With Caution
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-05
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2018-08-19 17:19:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8218889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sagnessagiel/pseuds/ShepherdSoreyDidNothingWrong
Summary: The cast and crew of Tales of Zestiria presents: the gag reel.





	1. Gag Reel

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically scenes I think they would have messed up had they been actors.
> 
> (They're recording the game, not the anime, but it is referred to as a show)

It's the first day of filming and they're already screwing up. Sorey is just happy it's not him doing it.

To his delightful surprise, it's not even Alisha. It's Mikleo who has laughed his way out of two takes so far. It is amusing Sorey to no end, and he knows that soon he will be the one who messes them up, but for the moment he is keeping it professional.

Attempt number three. They start at the mark and run to where Mikleo is supposed to fall. They will be adding the crumbling of the ground through effects later, so for the moment Mikleo just clumsily steps into the hole and Sorey throws himself into catching him by the coat collar. It is a messy thing to do, but he lands properly for the third time on the mat which lies next to the hole. A camera comes up in his face, and he does his best to strain with the effort of holding Mikleo. The wires attached under Mikleo's coat are actually doing all the work for him, but he sells it well.

Mikleo breathes heavily, and Sorey remembers that it is supposed to be his line. He is getting tired now.

"That was too close," he says. Mikleo is silent for a long moment, which is okay. They can cut that. Sorey just hopes he can get through the line.

He cannot, it seems. For the third time that day, Mikleo's hands come up to cover his face and Sorey hears the telltale sound of his quiet chuckling. Sorey shakes his head, but his lips are quirking into a smile.

"Dude, what is so funny about this?" he asks. Mikleo laughs in earnest. It is a beautiful sound.

"I just," he manages through growing giggles. "I'm supposed to be so sarcastic here, and you're holding me like a kitten." He gestures up to Sorey's hand on his collar, and yeah, Sorey can see it.

He is giggling now too. This is turning into quite the unproductive day.

He shakes Mikleo lightly and growls. Mikleo flails for a moment and makes a noise of surprise, before they're both laughing again.

"You can pull me up now,"Mikleo says to the nearest crewmember. Sorey lets go of his collar to lie down properly on the mat for a moment. Mikleo gets hoisted back up, and everyone prepares to reset the scene.

They try it again two more times, and when Mikleo finally delivers the line without laughing, Sorey does it instead.

* * *

 

Second day of filming, and Sorey thinks that perhaps they can't actually get through a whole show.

It's not his fault this time either, but he cannot rightly tell whose it is. It is Alisha's first scenes with actual acting (other than playing dead) and she is going a great job acting with Sorey. The problem comes when they get to Mikleo's first line to her.

It goes like clockwork. Sorey hands Alisha her spear, she gets up from her position on the ground, and then she brushes herself off. Mikleo then proceeds to get up in her face and inspect her sternly.

"Boo!" he shouts, and Sorey carefully schools his expression.

It only works for a moment, because he yells it loudly enough that Alisha visibly jumps, and then she's laughing just because she's nervous. Mikleo hangs his head, but Sorey knows he is smiling.

Mikleo grabs Alisha by the shoulders and looks her in the eye.

"Why?" he pleads, but there's nothing she can say. She can only laugh and clutch onto him to keep herself steady. Mikleo gathers her up in his arms and looks at Sorey with apologetic eyes.

"We will get this," he tells the cameraman, who only gives him a thumbs up. Sorey pats his shoulder and comes up to stroke Alisha's back. Alisha is shaking with pent up laughter.

"Give her a minute," Sorey says. Alisha's stream of apologies is accompanied by them softly stroking her back.

In the end, Mikleo has to dial it down with the yelling. By then Alisha manages just fine.

* * *

 

Zaveid is good with choreographed fights. A lot better than the rest of them.

As a result, he ends up dancing around Lailah and evading whatever it is she's doing (it'll be added by CGI) only to stumble over every step Sorey manages to take. Sorey is doing alright, but he is nervous for how it will look next to Zaveid, and so it gets clumsy in places.

It reaches its peak when Zaveid gets up close and Sorey raises his sword in pure reactive self defense, effectively landing a hit with the wooden sword right on the edge of Zaveid's jaw.

There's a moment of frozen, shocked silence in which everyone takes in what just happened. Zaveid stands with wide eyes, staring at a horrified Sorey. He opens his mouth, closes it. He then brings up a hand to feel it, but Sorey is quicker. Before Zaveid has time to react, he is in Sorey's arms and Sorey is babbling out apologies.

"Oh my god, are you okay? Did I hurt you? I didn't break it, did I?"

He holds Zaveid's cheeks in an iron grip as he inspects his jaw. Zaveid looks at Mikleo for help, but Mikleo is already snickering behind his hands. Sorey's chorus of 'I'm sorry' and 'are you okay' is getting too cute. Zaveid takes Sorey's hands in his and removes them from his face, laughing around his reassurance.

"It's fine, shep," he chuckles. "I've taken worse hits than that. It's okay."

Sorey is a nervous wreck, but Zaveid's assurances are helping. He pulls him into a hug before Zaveid can get away.

"I'm sorry," he cries, and Zaveid laughs along with the rest of them.

* * *

Mikleo and Edna like to mess with each other on set. This fact is quickly becoming infamous. 

Sorey sees it all the time. Edna will say something and poke Mikleo with the umbrella, only in different places than he is expecting. He ended up yelping loudly at one point when she poked him in the ribs, which of course did not match with the annoyed tone of his lines.

They ended up retaking that, but only after Mikleo tried to retaliate and chased Edna around Rose for a couple of laps.

At another point, Mikleo kept making faces at Edna while she was trying to be scathing towards Zaveid. The result was her stuttering and pointing accusingly at him for the rest of the afternoon. As he had been out of the shot, he claims innocence to this day.

Sorey's favourite comes the day they are filming the meeting with Mayvin. They are doing the scenes before and after the journey back to Camlann (the actual flashback is next week in another location). It is supposed to be an incredibly emotional scene, and they are all feeling melancholy as a result. They stand by the monolith and prepare for the cry of 'action'.

Once it comes, Edna goes first.

"It's okay to cry, you know."

It is aimed at Mikleo, and he has an answering line. It is the third time they have this exchange today, as it is supposed to be a running joke. Sorey waits, keeping his face carefully determined.

However, Mikleo does not say what he is supposed to say. Instead he turns around, and Sorey blinks in confusion.

"Okay," he says simply. He then proceeds to drape himself over a very confused Sorey and give the most dramatic wail they have ever heard out of him. It takes a moment, but then they all catch onto what he is doing. It is so out of character for him that it cracks Sorey in a matter of seconds, and Rose follows right after that.

Edna remains stoic as Zaveid giggles next to her. Wordlessly she walks up to the two of them and raises her umbrella to pat Mikleo gently on the back.

"There there, Feeleo. Let it all out."

They're all laughing, but Mikleo is not to be outdone. Lightning fast, he reaches out a hand and takes a firm grasp on Edna's shoulder. She is pulled roughly into the embrace and squished between the two of them, and Mikleo continues to fake cry.

This finally gets a smile out of her and she covers her face with her hands, shaking her head as her shoulders jerk. Behind them, they can hear the cheering of the crew.

Edna is notoriously difficult to crack up on camera, but Mikleo somehow manages it. Sorey does not know whether or not he should be proud.


	2. Gag reel 2

Sorey does not always read the whole script. Sometimes, when he is in a hurry, he learns his own parts and finds out the context when he gets to the set. Sadly, the people he works with are terrible human beings that like to feed off his misery.

That is why, as he stands with Alisha's hand in his and Lailah getting ready to cover his ears once the scene starts, he simply has to lean in and whisper to Alisha.

"Alisha, be honest with me. Is this actually in the script?"

He has been told the premise, as well as what will be happening in detail, but he has to double check.

Alisha is laughing just slightly, a breath of air through her nose. She nods.

"It's scripted. I double checked and everything."

Lailah leans over and interjects.

"Sorey, do you really think we would do a whole scene just to prank you?"

On one hand, he wants to believe in the goodness of people. On the other, her smile tells him that yes, yes they would.

"I trust no one on this set," he says.

"Maybe you wouldn't have to if you actually read the whole script," Mikleo says behind him. "Besides, would we really go this far?"

Okay, he is not liking this tone that everyone is using. It makes him more and more unsure that he is actually recording a real scene.

"Last week, Edna and Alisha improvised a whole scene about the 'squirrelcarena' just to see if I would catch on." His look at Alisha is accusing. "I expected it out of Edna, but you? How could you?"

Alisha laughs, utterly remorseless. "How could you let us get through the whole thing?"

"I didn't know!" Sorey gestures indignantly. "The week before, we did six different scenes talking about food! At this point, I expect anything out of these writers."

"I like the food scenes," Mikleo says. "We're getting paid to eat. At six or seven that was my dream job."

Sorey is about to say something to argue, but then he stops. "Huh. Good point."

"Focus, boys," Lailah says gently, and they all straighten a little bit. Sorey clears his throat.

"We ready?" the director asks. They all make affirmative sounds.

"I had better see this in the final cut and not on Youtube later," Sorey mutters. Alisha smiles serenely.

"Action!"

* * *

 

Four takes later, and they still cannot get through this scene. It's apparently all Sorey's fault, but he isn't sure he would agree. Because really, how long is he expected to be able to hold his breath?

Once he takes it in and holds it, Lailah has a line, then Alisha does, then Mikleo, then Lailah again. How has he never before noticed how slowly Lailah speaks? At present, it seems to be the only thing on his mind.

Lailah is at the end of her line, and Mikleo will soon start his. It's getting to be Sorey's personal record so far. He hopes they can get through it, but Mikleo's line is also long. Then Alisha has another one.

He fails. Mikleo gets through half a sentence before he releases it and coughs, trying to get some air back into his lungs. Alisha's face falls. They were so close to the end of it.

"Is there a better way to do this?" Sorey asks in between gasps. Mikleo pats him on the back.

"Weakling," he says affectionately. Sorey very maturely jabs him in the hip, and Mikleo nudges him back.

A very tired technician comes up to the set. She is looking over he clipboard, as well as the display on he phone.

"Okay, so the editor may be able to work with what we already have," she says, eyes glued to the feed of texts on her phone. "Say we try it one more time, and if it doesn't work we do that?"

Sorey makes a defeated sound. Alisha gently strokes the hand he still has in hers.

"One more try, okay?" she says. He stands up straight again and clears his throat.

"One more," he agrees, and gives the technician a thumbs up.

"It'll work," Alisha says. "You'll get it."

He doesn't, but it works out well enough in the final cut.

* * *

 

He isn't very good at working with animals.

Small ones, he can handle just fine. Things like dogs, cats, rabbits. It's when it comes to things like horses and farm animals that he stumbles. He had a dog and cats as a kid, but horses and the like are very intimidating when you've never met one before.

They're filming outside, and there is a flock of goats right behind him. Sorey is sure this scene is going to be the death of him. He's seen goats before, in pictures and movies, but he never really thought about how large they can get. The horns also look like they could do some decent damage. They're domesticated, yes, but Sorey has a lively imagination.

He is supposed to stand with his back to them the whole time, which makes him even more nervous. It's supposed to show that he's comfortable with them. How ironic.

Alisha can tell that he's nervous, but the scene has worked well so far. That is, until Sorey is in the middle of his line and a rough nudge comes at him from behind. It's forceful enough to push him a step forward, and he reacts accordingly.

That is, by yelping in fear and flailing.

He turns around to look into the eyes of an apathetic-looking goat and glares at it. It chews leisurely on grass.

Alisha makes a sound behind him. Suppressed laughter, if he's hearing it right.

"Aw, he likes you."

Blushing slightly, he turns around and glares at her too, but it's undermined by his smile. "Why don't _you_ try turning your back on a goat?"

Alisha walks up to him and pets the goat gently. It responds by nudging her hand.

Her look at Sorey is utterly smug.

He rolls his eyes. "Let's just try it again."

Alisha graciously agrees.

* * *

 

Mikleo really loves the arguing.

It's not that he wants to be in conflict with Sorey. It's just that when they get to the point of a scene where they're supposed to just rapidly lobby back and forth about archaeology and ancient rocks, it gets to be a sort of game between the two of them. Whoever messes up a line first loses, and keeping it together is not an easy task. They talk so quickly and so seriously, keeping all the words straight is difficult.

They're on their third take of a scene when Mikleo feels laughter bubbling up. It's been in the making for about two minutes, but Sorey seems to be actively making it worse by waggling his eyebrows whenever the camera isn't on him. They're arguing about some sort of towers that their characters are apparently fascinated with.

"What if they were built like that in the first place?" Sorey asks.

"That's entirely possible, but why?" Mikleo shoots back. They're at that point in the day where everyone is getting tired, lunch is coming up, and everything including the simplest lines can become tongue twisters. Still, they soldier on, because both of them want to win.

They've discussed the idea of betting on themselves, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Mikleo is sure that they will.

"Yeah, it all comes down to that. A place of worship? A Grave? A sundial?"

"Possibly even part of an elaborate seraphic arte?"

They both look over at Rose, who looks more tired than the both of them combined.

"Rose, what do you think?" Sorey asks.

Rose knows about their little game. She knows they're not going to stop filming until one of them messes up. She knows.

It's probably the reason she does what she does next.

"What do I think?" She raises an annoyed eyebrow. "I think your face is an elaborate seraphic arte."

They are so tired, so hungry, that it becomes the funniest thing to happen to them all day. Sorey breaks down laughing so hard that he has to hold on to Mikleo to keep himself upright. Mikleo has no chance either.

Finally, finally, they agree to just let everyone go to lunch.

* * *

 

Sergei is without a doubt the best actor Sorey has ever met.

Not because he delivers his lines in a particularly exceptional way, or even because of the way he manages his posture like a knight straight out of a medieval war. It's because he manages to watch the circus that is Sorey and gang miming their way through a fake marriage, and not laugh even once. Not once.

Sorey's expression is halfway to amazement the whole way through because of this, but he can play it off as nervousness well enough. All the seraphim cast members are gathered around him and actively contributing to him making a fool of himself. He's laughed his way out of two takes so far, and one of them he maintains was Mikleo's fault.

"I can feel you laughing!" He insisted and turned around indignantly to Mikleo, who acted outraged that he would even suggest such a thing. Sorey knows what he heard.

Sergei didn't drop the mask even once.

They're on the seventh take and Sorey is getting more used to the absurdity of it. They're moving his arms as he speaks, and he has to work hard to tune himself out so that he doesn't laugh.

"So, I wear an ornamental sword at my side, as a hollow pretense of strength."

Mikleo lets go of him, and he can hear the low sound of him trying not to laugh, but he continues. If it was noticeable to the camera, they would have cut already.

"Laugh at the weak will of a sad, broken man."

This was too funny to get through in rehearsal, and it is too funny now. Still, Sorey holds his facial muscles in an iron grip as Dezel shoves him forward a little too hard. Rose delivers her line to him. He's so focused that he almost misses his next cue.

"Ah, my dearest," he says, and his voice comes out far too high for his liking. "Your sweet words are succor to my tired limbs!"

In his periphery, he can see Mikleo cover his face, the edges of a growing smile behind his hand.

They're a ticking time bomb, and yet Sergei remains unaffected.

"Cut!" the director yells, and everyone starts preparing for a retake of the scene without the seraphim actors. As everyone shuffles around, Sorey turns an incredulous expression on Sergei.

"Dude," he says, awed. "How have you not laughed once?"

Sergei looks at him with eyes of stone.

"I can see why you'd be confused. I'll tell you this," He still maintains the mask, his voice low. "That was some of the funniest material I have ever seen, and when this is done I am going to double over and laugh until I cry. I just need to actually get through it first."

"Wow," Sorey says, amazed. Sergei cracks a small smile.

"You just have to compartmentalise, my friend. That is the mark of a great actor."

Sorey thinks he might just become this man's biggest fan.

* * *

 

"Wow. Look at all those stars."

Mikleo can look all that he wants, but the green screen remains the same. He schools his expression into something earnest.

"Yeah," he replies. Sorey leans on the stone wall next to him. He has his chin tilted back.

"I forget who said it. That there are as many emotions as stars in the sky. I can totally see that."

Mikleo breathes slowly. He turns Sorey's way to smirk.

"A metaphor for how each emotion sparkles in its own way, huh? Must have been a romantic who came up with that one."

"Yeah?" Sorey leans a little closer, and they meet each other's eyes for a moment. Mikleo raises an eyebrow.

"Is it better than mine?" Sorey asks, and Mikleo gives a perfectly rehearsed surprised chuckle.

"Anything is better than yours."

He receives a nudge to the shoulder. He responds by poking Sorey in the arm.

"Are you a romantic, Sorey?" he asks, looking back up at the sky.

"I don't know. What does it mean, anyway? Being a romantic?"

He looks at Mikleo, but Mikleo doesn't meet his eyes. He threads his fingers together, squeezes just slightly.

"I don't know the exact definition. I guess it's supposed to be someone who believes in things, who can see the beauty in them. Even when they hurt."

"That's some description," Sorey says, thoughtful. The silence hangs for just a moment.

"I think it fits you perfectly," Mikleo says quietly.

Sorey stands up straight and stretches. He smiles at Mikleo.

"I'm really glad I have you with me, Mikleo," he says. Mikleo makes a show of diverting his eyes for a moment before hesitantly matching the smile. Sorey holds up a clenched fist in the air between them. Mikleo follows suit and puts his wrist to Sorey's. They hold each other's gazes, until-

"But no homo, right?" Sorey says suddenly.

There's a surprised chortle from behind one of the nearby cameras. Mikleo almost cracks. He bites his cheek hard to contain the smile.

"Oh, dude, of course." He bumps their wrists together once more. "No homo."

Sorey is smiling a little wider than he should be, but neither of them has actually lost yet. Mikleo is not prepared for Sorey to reach for him, lightning fast, and pull him into a hug.

They stand there for a moment, Sorey awkwardly patting Mikleo's back.

"Bro," he says, vice cracking with emotion. Mikleo can't help it this time, laughing helplessly against Sorey's neck.

"You are the worst," he chuckles. Sorey strokes his back.

"I know. I know. You love it."

Mikleo punches him weakly in the arm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a vague idea for a third one, but that'll probably be a little while yet. It'll be longer than the first two if it works out
> 
> Thanks so much for the comments! They were a great help :)


	3. Behind the Scenes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not the gag reel, but what happened behind the scenes along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Split it up because it was getting too long, which means I can post part 1 :D (out of 2)
> 
> Enjoy ^_^

They're on the set of Ladylake Inn and Sorey is tired. After a whole day of running between sets to make sure they get all the footage of city exploration they need, he has no trouble acting like he needs to pass out for another three days. He can't wait to get home and make some dinner, but they need to get the last of this scene done. After that, he will be free.

He's happy with how it's going so far. Mikleo and Lailah are both easy to work with. Lailah is an experienced actress, and delighted to get to work with the boys. Mikleo, Sorey is somewhat embarrassed to say, has excellent chemistry with him.

Sorey sits up a little straighter in the bed. The scene starts with his line.

"But still, you sat around reading for three days straight? You could have gone out to explore the city some more."

Mikleo makes a face, and Sorey has to stop himself from smiling. This is one of his favourite parts of the script. He loves these moments with Mikleo.

"What does it matter?! I was worn out from the battle anyway, and," Mikleo crosses his arms. He takes a step closer to the bed, subtle body language that makes him look appropriately protective. "and I just had stuff I wanted to read, okay?"

Sorey does smile then. Mikleo is so cute when he gets all huffy.

"It's okay. You've always been this way." He's about to start the next line, but then a cry of 'cut' comes from beside him. He looks up at the dark backdrop that is the hidden crew.

At that, Mikleo and Lailah immediately relax. Lailah begins fiddling with her hair, in order to make sure that it stays properly in place for the scene. Mikleo's indignant expression relaxes into an easy smile.

There is some whispering from the other side of the cameras, before a frazzled looking assistant to the director comes out and walks up to Mikleo. She gestures for him to lean in, and he does so, leaning over the bed in the process.

"Mikleo, could you speed up the walking a little bit at 'I was worn out from the battle'? We need it to look a little more fluid."

Mikleo nods. "Of course."

She smiles. "One more time then," and then she disappears into the darkness again. Lailah and Sorey prepare to reset the scene, but Mikleo takes a moment to lean in close to Sorey.

"Okay, but you see it, right?" he says quietly, and Sorey is confused for a moment until he continues. "They're hot for each other."

"Oh," Sorey nods slightly. "Yeah, totally." Mikleo chuckles and shakes his head.

"There's a ton of these in the script. Can you imagine being that oblivious?" He grins, and Sorey has no time to reply before Lailah calls him over. He gives Sorey and apologetic smile and walks over to his initial position.

Sorey watches as Mikleo graciously lets Lailah fuss with his collar. He swallows.

Yeah, he thinks. He can.

* * *

Sorey learns a lot about Mikleo during the production of Tales of Zestiria.

Mikleo is twenty-six years old, half Japanese and half American. He lives by himself in a small New York apartment but he often travels for work. His favourite ice cream is mint chocolate and outside of costume, he likes to wear a lot of jeans and tight tops. Sorey often makes a point to meet with him before he gets into costume, if only to check him out just a little bit. Mikleo also looks hilarious when he arrives early in the morning with coffee in a travel mug and dark circles under his eyes. Sorey really likes how human it makes him look.

Mikleo is always so ethereal on camera. With the lighting concentrated around him and light, light makeup on his face, he looks every bit the unearthly seraph he is supposed to be. It's a hilarious contrast to how casual he acts when they're all dressed up but in between takes, just talking and hanging out.

Right now, Mikleo sits across from him, sprawled out over a chair in full costume and drinking one of five milkshakes that Zaveid has generously provided for them. His hair is swept back to keep it out of his eyes - they're going to have to redo it for the next scene - and his circlet glints in the light of the inn set. Sorey leans on a table nearby, idly drinking his own milkshake.

"So what have you done before this?" Sorey asks, just to make small talk. "I mean, no offense at all, but I haven't really seen you before this. Have you been in other productions?"

Mikleo stops sucking on the straw and shakes his head. "Not really. I work as a model normally. Rose got me this audition."

"Yeah?" Sorey raises his eyebrows. "Are you two close?"

"Oh, yeah." Mikleo waves a hand. "We used to be roommates back in college. You haven't noticed how friendly she gets with me?"

Sorey shrugs. He has.

"I was halfway to assuming you were dating."

Mikleo surprises him by laughing. "God, no. It's difficult to seduce someone who's seen you sit around in your underwear slowly emptying a can of whipped cream into your mouth."

"Did you really?"

"Oh, no. Not me." His meaningful look makes Sorey laugh. "So what about you? You usually work with this, right?"

"I've done a little here and there." Sorey inhales some more milkshake. "Some singing, some dancing. I'm mostly extras."

Mikleo looks an unreasonable level of amazed. "No way."

"Sure." He beams, because Mikleo's admiration is actively inflating his ego. "Hey, have you seen the fourth Step Up movie?"

Mikleo nods.

"If you look in the background in the final number, you can spot me in several places."

"Wow." Mikleo chews on his lip. Sorey hopes it doesn't look like he's staring. "So do you like dancing?"

"I think it's a fun thing to do. Had to practice a lot for that one, though. I was a little rusty at the time."

"Still, very cool."

Sorey ducks his head. Mikleo just keeps smiling at him. They continue to chat like that until someone calls for them to get ready for the next take. Sorey settles easily into the casual way of it. It's nice to talk to Mikleo. Simple, in a way that he is very comfortable with.

When the camera starts filming again, they fall into the same easy rhythm. It works very well.

* * *

A couple of days later, Sorey is having lunch with Zaveid at a nearby diner when Zaveid goes to ask for more coffee. It is then that Rose shows up out of what seems like thin air and sits down across from him.

"Okay, listen." She takes one of Zaveid's fries and sticks it in her mouth. Her tone leaves no room for argument. "If you're serious about liking Mikleo, there's some things you should know."

Sorey blinks. He chews the bite he already has in his mouth and swallows. Then he says "What now?"

"Don't deny it. We all see you flirting. Now, I can tell you right away that he isn't interested in a fling, so you can buzz off if that's the plan. Is it?"

Sorey feels very much like a deer in headlights.

"I... wasn't aware there was a plan."

Rose glares at him, and he has the urge to raise his hands to protect the important parts of him. She shakes her head.

"You two," she says, exasperated. "Alright, listen closely. You seem like a nice guy. I think you'd be good for him, and I think you're vaguely aware of all the bad things I can do to you should you hurt him. Thus, I humbly offer this sage advice."

Sorey glances at where Zaveid disappeared around the corner. He can't imagine how to explain this when he gets back.

"Mikleo is fun, but not very adventurous. He likes red wine, reading, and talking about boring pretentious things." She ticks these qualities off on her fingers as she speaks. "He did a lot of figure skating as a kid, and he still really likes it, so if you take him ice skating on a date, he's sure to jump you on the way home."

Sorey chokes on nothing and coughs, but Rose barrels on.

"He likes documentaries, but if you want to watch historical movies with him, you're going to have to be ready for him to get all huffy about the inaccuracies. He's also a huge movie talker, and getting annoyed helps no one. Now, what am I missing?" She leans back to thoughtfully tap her chin. Then she snaps her fingers. "Right. He doesn't like licorice in any way, shape or form. Same with white chocolate."

Sorey raises an eyebrow. "Really? White chocolate?"

"He says it's too sweet. Pretty strange for a guy I've seen consume an entire tub of frosting in an afternoon in college." She waves her hands dismissively. "But that's not the point. The point is, you now have all the information you need to start hitting on him properly." She leans in and pats him roughly on the shoulder, smiling. "Go get him, tiger."

She plucks a handful of Zaveid's fries from his plate. Then she gets up and disappears out the door, leaving Sorey dumbfounded in her wake.

* * *

Halfway through the production, Lailah wakes up to an interesting surprise.

There's a little package left on the doorstep of her trailer with a note with neat cursive writing on top of it. She picks it up and reads through, and begins to smile when she gets halfway. She takes the package inside to open it before she gets all dressed up.

When she shows up to the set, absolutely everyone stares.

"Um, Lailah." Zaveid is tilting his head, as though looking at another angle might help him understand it better. "You okay there? You didn't get dressed half asleep, did you?"

Lailah grins wide. She reaches up to tweak the dog ears on her head.

"It's something the director thought would be fun. He says it's beginning to get a little too serious."

"And this is the solution for it?" Mikleo appears behind her. He is in full full makeup, his hair done up, but still in a tank top and sweatpants.

"Apparently." Lailah smooths out the soft fur on the ears. "Why aren't you dressed yet?"

Mikleo makes a face. "One of the two PAs that help me into that thing is busy looking for a new button for Dezel's jacket. He tore it out this morning."

"You need two people for that thing?" Zaveid is grinning in amusement. Mikleo shrugs.

"There are twelve belts and they need to be even. One person is not enough."

"It's the same with me," Lailah says, gesturing to herself. "The extensions need to be even and the the dress stays up through stage magic. Sorey also needs help with the cape."

"Am I the only one who can dress himself on this set?" Zaveid asks. He raises an eyebrow.

"Your costume is a pair of pants," Mikleo replies. Zaveid waves a dismissive hand.

"Details."

There's a chime from Mikleo's direction, and he pulls out his phone to check it.

He hums, amused.

"Apparently I'm supposed to bring my classes to filming from now on." He glances at Lailah. "For the same reasons. Is it me or are we getting lazy with this?"

"I wonder what Rose'll get to wear." Zaveid chuckles. "Or Sorey."

"Did somebody say costumes?"

They all turn around at the sound of Sorey's voice. Lailah's breath catches in her throat. Mikleo covers his mouth and makes a high pitched sound through his nose.

Sorey grins proudly. He strikes a pose.

Behind Lailah, Zaveid cracks up laughing.

Sorey twirls the end of one of his new sideburns and wiggles the matching eyebrows.

"You guys are just jealous."

* * *

Even though they're filming a fight sequence, it's a quiet day on the set.

Mikleo and Dezel are the only ones currently in the shot, and so everyone else is off somewhere fussing with their costumes or eating. Mikleo envies them. He is getting hungry, and spending an hour pretending to buy food at an inn has done nothing but taunt him.

Dezel walks up close to him, and Mikleo makes a show of brushing nonexistent dirt off his clothing.

"It's not often you see a seraph using a staff like a club." Dezel crosses his arms.

"I mastered it while practicing with Sorey," Mikleo replies.

"It's got the reach you'd need to win, since he's taller."

Mikleo furrows his eyebrows. "That's not the reason why!"

"But the height-"

"That's not it!" Mikleo huffs. He glares and walks away, and then the shot is over. It's a short scene, but they have done it about four times now, just to give the editor some good options. The annoyance is starting to get more and more genuine. He isn't even that short.

It's just that he works with very tall people.

Like clockwork, they walk back to their initial positions. Dezel shifts on his feet. He looks somewhat uncomfortable. Mikleo considers asking about it, because surely he can't sense Mikleo looking at him in concern. He doesn't have time to ask before Dezel speaks.

"So about Rose," he says.

Ah, yes. That.

Mikleo interrupts him. "Go for it, buddy. I think she likes you."

He goes back to fixing his clothing. Dezel says nothing for a long moment. Long enough that Mikleo starts to get worried that that wasn't the purpose at all and that now he's made it awkward. Then Dezel says "Really?".

Mikleo smirks, just a little. "Oh, yeah. She talks about you all the time. Tell you what," he turns to Dezel and points at him as he speaks. "You want my advice, take her on a picnic somewhere. She loves being outside."

"She does strike me as the type." Dezel strokes his chin thoughtfully. Mikleo nods.

"She also likes beer, salty chips and competitive cooking shows, but be careful. She gets really into it and flails. Watch out for her right hook."

Dezel tilts his head. "I thought that was only effects." Mikleo chuckles.

"When we were back in college, I once got up in the middle of the night to get a snack. She decked me when I tried to sneak back into my room."

Dezel flinches. "Ouch."

"Yeah. I had bruises for a week." It didn't help that he bruises like a peach.

Dezel considers this information for a long, silently awkward moment. Then he nods. "Thank you. Are you sure about this though?"

"Sure of what?" Mikleo asks.

"Me making a move, as it were. You guys seem pretty close."

Mikleo scratches the back of his head. It's something of a feat, because the shoulders of his coat don't let him reach his arms up very high. His outfit is impressively tight for what he is expected to accomplish in it.

"Look, Rose is great, and I love her, but if I wanted to be with her in that way, I would have tried that when we were in school together. We're really just friends."

"I, uh..." Dezel looks uncomfortable again. "I was sort of asking if you'd approve, as her friend."

"Oh." Mikleo feels his cheeks heat up, and all at once he is embarrassed and grateful that Dezel can't see him. The rest of the crew, however, will be able to once they get ready to set the scene again. He rubs absently at his cheeks. "Yeah. Sure. I mean, you seem nice. And aware of the things she could do to you should you do anything stupid."

"I get some impressions, yeah." Dezel smiles lightly. He reaches out a hand to Mikleo. "Thank you."

Mikleo takes it. "You're welcome."

They shake hands for a moment. Then Dezel leans in a little closer, and Mikleo has a bad feeling about this.

"Now, I'm sorry about his, but I have to. As Sorey's friend, I'm going to have to ask what your intentions are with him."

Now Mikleo is really grateful that Dezel can't see him. He's never looked at anyone like an actual deer in headlights before, and he doesn't like the feeling.

"Wha..?" he says, and there really is no more planning to it than that.

The director suddenly calls out to them from behind the cameras. Dezel leans back and nods, letting go of Mikleo and standing back on his own mark. The scene is prepared, and everyone is ready.

Mikleo is unsure whether he is grateful or not. He really has no idea what his answer would have been.

* * *

The trial of the water shrine might be the worst thing to ever happen to them. It doesn't help that the director is delighted by the opportunity to torture them repeatedly.

Mikleo groans and drapes himself over Rose's shoulder. They sit together on the stone floor.

"Remind me never to take a job that you suggest ever again," he says. She pats him gently on the head. Her other hand takes hold of his arm, draped over her shoulder, to keep him steady.

"I'll put it in my planner," she says.

"Why do we even need sixteen shots of us getting teleported back to the beginning?" He gestures with his captured hand. She shakes her head.

"No idea. I think I heard that one of the writers wants a 'raw view on the horror that is the frustrations of life', but it sounds pretty silly to me."

"I can show him the horrors of life," Mikleo mutters into her hair. "Give me ten minutes with him and a pair of pliers."

"Threatening bodily harm." Rose pretends to wipe a tear from her eye. "My boy is all grown up."

Mikleo nudges her in the side. She leans back, threatening to let go for a moment. He latches on a little harder as a result.

"No. You're my support right now."

"I'm always your support," Rose mutters. She brushes her hair over her shoulder with one hand, placing it so that it won't accidentally end up in Mikleo's mouth. He shifts to allow her the action.

"Hey, Mik?" She asks.

"Mm?" Mikleo replies.

"Do you like Sorey?"

He tenses up just a little. He knows she can feel it. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I don't know." She huffs an amused breath. "Maybe because you're always in each other's space, and you keep smiling at each other, and if I know that look as well as I think I do, you want him to push you up agai-"

"That's good enough, thanks," Mikleo interrupts, his voice far too high pitched. "And could you maybe keep it down?"

"I just want you to think about it," Rose replies, stroking the arm she has in her grip. "I know you're bad at going after someone, even when you really want them."

"Sage advice from the queen of reeling in men," Mikleo says, flinching only slightly when she pinches him.

"I'm just saying that you should think about whether this is something you want," she says. "And if you do, really show it to him."

Mikleo is silent for a long moment. He relaxes against her.

"Do you think so? Really?"

"Well, yeah." She flicks once again at her hair. It is just a little too short to stay over her shoulders when she leans forward like this. Stray strands slip back into her face. "What are you so scared of?"

"I don't know," he says, in a way that says he clearly does. "Maybe he's not into guys? Or not into people? Oh, God, what if he hates people? What if I make him uncomfortable just by being around him?"

"Mikleo," she says, with a little too much laughter mixed in not to annoy him. "Have you met him?"

Mikleo whines. "He's getting paid to be here. What if once the filming stops he drops his whole outgoing personality and moves back into a cottage in the woods?"

"Even were it so," she says teasingly. "The looks he keeps giving you tell me he'd want to take you with him to that cottage."

"You don't know that," he mumbles into her shoulder.

"If I phrase it like this, then. I have seen him stare at you a lot, to the point where I could probably put details to what he would do to you in that cottage. First, there'd be a romantic dinner. Then, he would spread you o-"

" _Stop_ ," Mikleo pleads. "Could you be a normal person for just a few minutes?"

"You ask too much of me Mik." She gently pats his arm.

They are interrupted for a brief moment when Lailah walks up to them and asks if they are alright. Rose reassures her that they are just tired, and Mikleo is just being dramatic. Lailah accepts that easily and moves back to the main party again.

Edna and Dezel wait for her there. Sorey is absent, gone to get some food in the brief break they have been afforded. It is what makes Mikleo just barely comfortable enough to have the current conversation.

"I'll think about it," Mikleo aquiesces. Rose nods, satisfied.

"All I ask, Mik."

"Were you always this attentive?" he asks, genuinely surprised. 

She takes it in stride. "S'what I'm here for buddy. S'what I'm here for."


End file.
